The Story of the Horrible Host

Love can’t be overcome while power is often its own undoing.

This sermon was preached by Charlotte Elia at Chester Presbyterian Church in Chester, Virginia on Sunday, October 15, 2023. You can listen to it on our website or your preferred podcast app.

Photo by Andra C Taylor Jr on Unsplash

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may becompared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call thosewho had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent otherslaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxenand my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the weddingbanquet.’ 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged.He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to hisslaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the mainstreets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 Those slaves went out intothe streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall wasfilled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was notwearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without awedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind himhand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping andgnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14)

This is a story of immense violence… ultimately senseless violence. Well, all violence is senseless, but this violence can’t masquerade under an excuse. It’s plainly absurd, plainly ugly. And that seems to be the point.